Blue Moon... Logan.S
Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse
On the night of the Blue Moon on January 31 (UTC), there will be a total lunar eclipse in some areas, including in most of North America, Asia, and Australia.
A totally eclipsed Moon, sometimes called a Blood Moon, usually looks red, so this may be a rare opportunity to see a red Blue Moon. If this isn't enough, it is also almost a supermoon, earning it the nickname Super Blue Blood Moon
Double Blue Moon in 2018
In 2018, there are two Full Moons in both January and March in most time zones, which is sometimes called a double Blue Moon. Check the Moon Phase page to see if this is the case in your location.
Two Definitions of Blue Moon
- Seasonal Blue Moon = The third Full Moon in an astronomical season with four Full Moons (versus the usual three).
- Monthly Blue Moon = The second Full Moon in a month with two Full Moons.
How Rare Is a Blue Moon?
The term once in a Blue Moon means that something is rare. Blue Moons happen once every two or three years. In the 1100 years between 1550 and 2650 (UTC), there are 408 seasonal Blue Moons and 456 monthly Blue Moons.
Double Blue Moons happen only about 3 to 5 times in a century. The next year that has two months with two Full Moons each will be 2037, while the last time, was in 1999.
Other combinations of Blue Moons also exist. Between 1550 and 2650 there are 20 years which have one seasonal and one Monthly Blue Moon. The next time is in 2048 while the last time was in 1934. Triple Blue Moons, a combination of one seasonal and two monthly Blue Moons in the same calendar year, happens 21 times in the same time span. The next is in 2143, while the last time was in 1961.
There can never be a double seasonal Blue Moon, as that would require 14 Full Moons in the same year, which is not possible because the time between two Full Moons is approximately 29.5 days.
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